


fate itself envies us

by plastic--hearts (paperxvalentines), thekingbee



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Parents, Awkward Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Single Parents, it's a soft fic, not much like 5 yrs, oblivious wonho, side kihyuk BUT i will be making them a fic too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-03 21:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16333838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperxvalentines/pseuds/plastic--hearts, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekingbee/pseuds/thekingbee
Summary: No matter how old he was, Hoseok was still rendered to a nervous mess. He was just glad he had passed the point of blushing till his ears were red.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thekingbee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekingbee/gifts).



> once again, the biggest thank you to my friend [Victoria](https://ppprimary25.tumblr.com/) for all her help on this fic. I would be so lost without her haha ~~(but when will she make a damn ao3 account)~~ (edit: she finally made one thank god)
> 
> this is one of the few fics in which I incorporate Korean honorfics, so let's see how that goes
> 
> the title is taken from MX's song Aura which is actually really goddamn soft?? I'm shook??

Hoseok knocked on the door to the apartment, double-checking the address he had written down on his phone.

After a minute of triple-checking the address and awkwardly fixing his green jacket, the door swung open to reveal a man not much younger than him, with tousled blond hair and a smile that caused deep dimples to run through his cheeks.

“Hoseok-ssi, hi,” he greeted him, smile growing. “Sua’s just getting her jacket.”

“Thanks for looking after her,” Hoseok thanked him politely, a slight bow accentuating his words. “I know she can be a handful.”

The other man just waved him off, shaking his head. “She's lovely. Thanks for letting her spend the day here with Minyoung.”

“Of course,” Hoseok replied. He was going to say something else when his daughter popped out from behind Jooheon’s legs, rushing out to him.

“Daddy!” 

“Hi baby, did you have fun?” he asked her as he crouched down to catch her as she ran to him. 

She nodded eagerly before breaking out of Hoseok’s arms to go hug her friend, who had just appeared in the doorway to see her off. “Bye Minyoung! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Bye!” the other little girl waved, even though Sua was still right in front of her.

“Say thank you to Jooheon-ssi,” he told his daughter, who then turned to the other man and waved to him too.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed before turning back to her dad, taking his hand.

“No problem, Sua! Come back soon,” Jooheon smiled at her, then turned his attention back to Hoseok. “Get home safely, I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

“Bye Jooheon-ssi, thank you again, and bye Minyoung!” Hoseok said before the two of them headed out of the apartment building.

Jooheon and Minyoung didn’t live too far from Hoseok’s place, so the two of them walked home hand in hand, Sua’s little purple bag hanging off of Hoseok’s shoulders.

“Did you have a good time?” Hoseok asked his daughter despite knowing what the answer would be. He just liked to hear when she was happy.

“Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically, swinging their hands as she walked. “Can Minyoung come over to my house next time? I want to show her the dollhouse you made for me, so we can play together.”

Hoseok smiled down at his daughter. “That sounds great! Of course she can come over. She lives so close, too!”

 

Later that night, when Sua was tucked in bed and Hoseok was getting ready to read to her, she turned to him with an excited look on her face. “Daddy, I forgot to tell you! Sua also lives with only her daddy!”

Hoseok raised his eyebrows as he settled down next to her. “Is that so?”

“Yes, just like me and you!” she smiled widely, before her expression quickly changed to a pensive one. “Well, she told me sometimes she sees her mommy. But only sometimes. She goes to her house.”

Hoseok hummed in response, nodding a bit. “I see.”

“It’s not just me anymore, Daddy!” she exclaimed, and she seemed so overjoyed by it that it broke Hoseok’s heart. He never wanted her to feel like she was different from the rest of her friends because of things that she had no control over.

But he didn’t let his sadness show. Instead, he ruffled her hair with a smile that only ever appeared when he was around her, and said, “I told you you weren’t the only one.”

“I know, I know,” she assured him, getting comfortable under her sheets and gripping her stuffed dog tightly. “Can we read the book about the fish tonight?”

“Of course we can.”

  
  


The next day, when Hoseok came to pick his daughter up from school, he noticed Jooheon standing by the school gates, looking at something on his phone as he waited for them to be allowed in.

Hoseok walked up to him, and he must’ve noticed because he looked up from his phone when he got close enough and gave him a friendly smile. 

“Good afternoon,” Hoseok greeted, coming to a stop beside him. “How are you?”

“Hey Hoseok-ssi. I’m doing alright, how about you?”

He nodded. “I’m good, thanks. Um, this might- I don’t know how accurate this is, but,” Hoseok paused, collecting his thoughts as he tried to formulate a question. “Sua told me that it’s just you and Minyoung…”

“Oh.” Jooheon’s eyes widened a little and Hoseok noticed as one of his hands wrapped around the overhanging sleeve of his jacket, fiddling with the material, instantly reminding him that, despite their daughters being the same age, Jooheon was still considerably younger than him. “Yeah. Um. I mean, she still sees her mum, she’s not completely out of the picture, but it’s not- we’re not together, but Minyoung gets to see her a lot, as much as possible, so she’s not, y’know, not…” Jooheon sighed as he trailed off.

Hoseok smiled reassuringly - he understood Jooheon’s need to explain himself all too well. After a brief moment of hesitation, he placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder, squeezing ever so slightly. “It’s okay. It’s just me and Sua, too.”

Under his hand, Hoseok felt the way Jooheon’s shoulders dropped with relief. He knew that feeling as well. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be.” Hoseok withdrew his hand as the school doors opened, allowing the parents in. The two of them entered side by side. “It’s probably better this way. It’s basically always been just the two of us.”

“Must’ve been hard on you, though,” Jooheon commented, eyes soft as he looked at Hoseok, who simply shrugged, not wanting to get into it.

“The reason I brought it up was just to say that if you ever need a hand, you have my number, I’ll be around.” 

Jooheon smiled at him, really smiled, his deep dimples appearing on either cheek. “Thank you, Hoseok-ssi. I’ll let you know.”

“Don’t hesitate.”

 

It was on a Saturday, a week or so later, that Hoseok invited both Minyoung and Jooheon over for lunch. Despite Hoseok’s insistence that he didn’t need anything more, Jooheon brought a container of kimchi, explaining that his mother had come to see them over the week and had brought a huge batch with her, so there was enough to go around.

The four of them ate around Hoseok’s round table, tucked in the corner of the kitchen where the most light streamed in from the window, laughing and joking around easily. Sua and Minyoung would kick each other under the table, giggling when they tried to dodge the other’s hits, and Hoseok found himself smiling fondly at the scene. 

Later, when the two girls were playing in the bedroom, Hoseok and Jooheon found themselves on the balcony, the door open so they could hear their daughters if they needed to. It was the middle of autumn, so the breeze was still pleasant without biting at their cheeks and the warm sun made up for it. Their hands were wrapped around steaming cups of tea, and Jooheon had brought up the subject of Minyoung’s mum.

“We’re on good terms, I’d say. She sees Minyoung as often as she can, but she’s busy.” Jooheon shrugged. “I understand. Her job is more demanding than mine.”

“How young were you guys when you had Minyoung?” Hoseok asked, unsure of how to approach their conversation.

“Nineteen,” Jooheon answered, a chuckle of disbelief wrapped around his words. “It wasn’t… We didn’t plan for things to happen this way, but… I love Minyoung, obviously. I wouldn’t trade her in for the world.”

“I understand.” Hoseok nodded. “It’s not an easy situation to be in.”

“It’s okay. It’s getting better.” Jooheon turned the cup around in his hands, looking down at it as though it would help him find his words. But after a minute of contemplation, he just shook his head and gave Hoseok a smile. “I’m not gonna tell you my whole life story, don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Hoseok answered honestly as he returned the smile. “If you do want to talk about it, I’ll be here to listen.”

  
  


As the weeks went by and the trees started to lose their colour, Sua and Minyoung became better friends, resulting in Hoseok and Jooheon spending more and more time together. Hoseok would sometimes pick the two of them up from school when Jooheon was working a little later than usual, but he would always join them later for dinner. It slowly became a regular occurrence and Hoseok began to look forward to it eagerly. 

“Hoseok hyung,” his coworker Hyungwon sighed one day as he watched Hoseok pack up briefcase. “I think you might be in love with him.”

Rolling his eyes, Hoseok shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

“I think you  _ are _ ,” Hyungwon repeated, insisting on it. He rolled his chair over to his cubicle, extending his long legs out in front of him in an attempt to stop Hoseok in his tracks. “Listen, don’t brush me off. I know I’m right. I haven’t ever seen you as happy as you are on the days you guys have dinner together, and I’ve been seeing your face for way too many years now.”

“I’m just happy that Sua has a friend,” Hoseok explained, easily stepping over Hyungwon’s legs and laughing when he whined. “It makes me feel less bad about the situation.”

Hyungwon sighed, shrugged, then rolled his chair backwards towards his own cubicle. “I’m not convinced, but okay. Go have a good dinner.”

  
  


Much to Hoseok’s dismay, Hyungwon’s words never stopped running through his head. They were there, lingering in the back of his mind, when he let Jooheon in and the smile on his face was as effortless as breathing. They were there when he watched him hug Minyoung and then Sua, and they were there when he sat down beside him at the dining table. They were loud, pounding against his skull when Jooheon reached over to serve him some food and shot him a smile in the process.

By the end of the night, he was convinced that Hyungwon was some sort of sorcerer. Washing the dishes alongside Jooheon was nothing new, but the whole night he kept flinching whenever Jooheon’s hands would touch his. He actually felt his stomach tie itself in knots every time Jooheon’s dimples appeared, and he  _ definitely  _ felt a pang of sadness when Jooheon - and Minyoung - left.

He lay awake that night, staring up at the city lights dancing across the ceiling through the curtains, willing his brain - and its version of Hyungwon - to shut up.  _  “I think you might be in love with him,”  _ it kept repeating, with the same obnoxious smirk the real Hyungwon had. Hoseok was determined to strangle him the next time he saw him, rolling around on his stupid desk chair.

Stupid Hyungwon. It was his fault that Hoseok couldn’t stop thinking about Jooheon’s smile, and his laugh, and his blond hair. 

  
  


He fought against himself (and fictional Hyungwon) all night, getting so close to convincing himself that he was  _ not _ in love with Jooheon, thank you very much.

But when he saw Hyungwon’s _very real_ face as he walked to his cubicle the next morning, his will to fight came crashing down.

“Ah, fuck,” he whispered, and as soon as he put his briefcase down on his desk, he rested his forehead against it, taking a deep breath.

Obviously, by some stroke of luck (read: misfortune), Hoseok heard the telltale noise of Hyungwon’s chair rolling into his cubicle. He didn’t need to look over to know that he was sporting his know-it-all grin.

“I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Shut up, Hyungwon.”

He heard the cackling in his mind before he heard it with his ears and he groaned, lifting his head up to glare at Hyungwon. “This is your fault, you know.”

“I’ll take full responsibility.” He was grinning like the Cheshire cat, and Hoseok considered himself to be a good person, but in that moment he wanted nothing more but to deck Hyungwon in the face.

“Go away. You have a job to do,” he grumbled, turning around to turn on his computer. 

Thankfully, the sound of Hyungwon’s wheels and his obnoxious giggling faded a moment later as he rolled himself back into his own cubicle.

  
  


Now that Hoseok had accepted his feelings, there was no going back. He felt like it was wrong, though. He felt like it was hopeless, and that’s exactly what he told his friend Kihyun as he was lying face-down on his couch. He had gone to Kihyun’s apartment straight from work on a day that Jooheon was going to pick the two girls up and hadn’t moved from the couch since he had reached, half an hour ago. 

“Hyung, you’re so dramatic,” Kihyun sighed, swatting at his leg with a rolled up magazine that he had been reading seconds before.

“I’m serious!” Hoseok whined so loudly, Kihyun’s dog sitting at the bottom of the couch jumped in surprise.

“You woke up Cho,” Kihyun commented, watching in amusement as Hoseok rolled onto his side to make room for the dog to jump up onto the couch beside him.

“Sorry Cho,” he sighed, playing with his floppy brown ears. “Kihyun, I’m serious. I feel like if I try, and he rejects me, then Sua and Minyoung won’t get to spend time together anymore. And I would have ruined it for them.”

“That’s so extra and you know it,” Kihyun pointed out, opening up his magazine again. He pushed his thin round glasses back up his nose. “He seems like a cool guy. Like, don’t outright try to kiss him or anything, but try to… I don’t know, try to flirt. If you start small and see he’s not interested, then you stop before you make a fool out of yourself and consequently get him to stop talking to you ever again.”

“Kihyun, I can’t flirt,” Hoseok whined again, giving his friend the most exaggerated pouting expression he possibly could.

“Well, I can’t help you there, my friend.” Kihyun shrugged, not bothering to look up from his magazine. He knew Hoseok well enough to know exactly what expression he was making. “I’ve said what I had to.”

 

And so began Hoseok’s plan of trying - and probably failing - to woo Jooheon. He started small: he brought him coffee or iced tea on mornings he knew he’d run into him at the school, he complimented his hair or his clothes regularly, but he still felt like he was making no leeway. Jooheon would always smile and thank him politely, never giving an indication of any deeper feelings. Hoseok constantly felt hopeless, and Kihyun was getting all the details, much to his chagrin.

 

Until one day, he finally gave in and presented Hoseok with a plan. The man suggested Hoseok host a little get-together, a casual dinner party, and invite Jooheon and Minyoung, as well as anyone Jooheon might want to bring, and Hoseok’s own friends. It would give them a good window of time to interact without having to worry about their girls, Kihyun explained with a shrug.

After giving it some thought, Hoseok agreed, but left the planning to Kihyun because he knew the organising would make his little heart sing and, honestly, Hoseok wasn’t the best at those kinds of things.

 

And so the date was set, the invites texted out to their friends. The last thing Hoseok had to do was ask Jooheon. 

He decided to breach the topic when Jooheon came to pick up Minyoung from his apartment one night. While the two girls were putting away all the toys, Hoseok offered Jooheon a glass of water and they sat on the couch side by side.

“So, I’m having a get-together on Saturday,” Hoseok started, turning to look at the man next to him. No matter how old he was, Hoseok was still rendered to a nervous mess. He was just glad he had passed the point of blushing till his ears were red. “I was wondering if you and Minyoung would like to come. You can bring a friend if you’d like, too.”

Jooheon thought about it for a second then nodded and smiled, Hoseok’s stomach flipping. “Yeah, that sounds great! What time?”

“In the evening, probably. I told my friends to come around 6pm, but they’re not the most cordial of people,” Hoseok chuckled, rolling his eyes fondly. “You can also bring someone, if you’d like. I know it’s awkward to be surrounded by unfamiliar people.”

“Don’t worry, hyung. I’ll be there,” Jooheon confirmed, the smile on his face making Hoseok believe that he must’ve done something truly wonderful in his past life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic got so damn long that we had to cut it into two parts. hopefully the second part will be up very soon!!
> 
> as always, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/vicesandcurses), [tumblr](http://plastic--hearts.tumblr.com/) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kiwijinwoo)! _please_ come yell with me about the fact that we're getting a studio vers of 널하다/Neol Hada (however y'all know it)!!


	2. Chapter 2

However nervous he had felt simply asking Jooheon to come to the get-together didn’t even hold a candle to the nervousness he felt at having him amongst his friends. Jooheon had brought a friend himself, a man named Changkyun that worked with him. Hoseok was actually kind of thankful that he brought someone - he didn’t want him to be stuck with a bunch of people he didn’t know, especially when one of them was Minhyuk, an old and slightly overwhelming friend of Hoseok’s. 

Hoseok made quick work of introducing Jooheon, Changkyun and Minyoung to everyone, but when Hyunwoo showed up with his son Sungmin, he got whisked away by the three kids. By the time he got back to the adults, Jooheon and Changkyun were chatting with Kihyun, and Hoseok didn’t feel like interjecting himself into the conversation.

So he stood with Hyungwon and talked to him all while keeping an eye on Jooheon. He was dressed in a white button-down and jeans, and the rips across his thighs had Hoseok suffering. 

It was only when Hyungwon sighed loudly that Hoseok directed his attention back to him. “What?” he asked.

“Just go talk to him, you idiot.” Hyungwon shook his head and took a sip from the cup he was holding.

“I will, I will,” Hoseok insisted, but made absolutely no move to walk over to him. Hyungwon sighed again. 

 

When the time for dinner rolled around, Kihyun (along with some help from Hoseok) had set up the food in a way that allowed everyone to fill their plates and sit wherever they pleased, and Jooheon chose to stand with Changkyun, the two of them leaning against the junction between the kitchen counter and a little half-wall. Hoseok had been stuck sitting on the couch beside Minhyuk, who was chattering away about the time he had gotten locked in a McDonald’s after closing, before Kihyun had forcefully dragged the blond man away, winking obnoxiously at Hoseok.

Hoseok peered over his shoulder, watching Kihyun usher Minhyuk out onto the balcony, and sighed as he got up from his spot on the couch. He knew he only had a short window of time before Minhyuk would somehow worm his way back, and he knew he had to take that opportunity.

He slid his way into the newly vacated spot Changkyun had left (Hoseok had an inkling as to who was responsible for that), and smiled at Jooheon. “Hey, I didn’t get to say this earlier, but I’m glad you could make it. Sorry my friends are a little… Intense sometimes.”

“That's okay,” Jooheon laughed, chopsticks still poised over his plate. “They're fun. I like them.”

“Don't let Minhyuk hear that,” Hoseok answered with a weary sigh, putting his empty plate down and resting his elbows on the half-wall behind him. “He’ll never let you go.”

“What if I tell you you're fun, then?”

Hoseok laughed. “I'm not as clingy as Minhyuk.”

“That's a shame,” Jooheon pouted.

“Wait, hold on.” Hoseok pushed himself into a standing position as his brain very slowly caught up to what the other man was saying. “Are you-”

Before Hoseok could finish that sentence, Minhyuk had reappeared, a very frazzled Kihyun standing behind him in despair. 

“Guys, sorry, let me just squeeze past you real quick,” Minhyuk said, trying to make himself thinner than he already was to fit in between Jooheon and Hoseok. “I need to get the salsa, who left it on the counter?!”

“That was you, Minhyuk-ssi,” Jooheon offered politely, clearly holding back his laughter.

“Jooheonnie, call me hyung,” Minhyuk insisted, one hand waving in the air as the other clutched the jar of salsa tightly. 

Hoseok just watched the scene with raised eyebrows, unfazed by Minhyuk’s complete cluelessness. Kihyun, on the other hand, was sighing, eyes raised to the sky. It was a look Hoseok had seen on him countless times before: it was utter resignation to the creature that was Lee Minhyuk. 

By some miracle, though, Kihyun was able to get Minhyuk to leave before he talked up a storm. Somehow, he had roped Hyungwon into his plan, and Hoseok could see his colleague wrap an arm around Minhyuk’s shoulders before looking back and shooting Hoseok a wink.

He really was going to deck him one of these days.

With a sigh, Hoseok turned his attention back to Jooheon, who was also watching the scene play out with an amused smirk.

“As I said, intense,” Hoseok sighed. 

“Things could be worse, hyung,” Jooheon insisted, a smile on his face. 

“I suppose…” Hoseok wanted to bring up what Jooheon had said earlier, but he couldn’t bring himself to. 

Jooheon took it upon himself to fill the silence that befell them. “Your friend Hyunwoo seems to be good with kids.”

Hoseok couldn’t help but laugh at that. “There was a steep learning curve, let me tell you that.”

“Really?” Jooheon asked before bringing his chopsticks up to his mouth. “But he’s got such a fatherly… aura?” he added with his mouth full of rice.

Hoseok just shrugged. “He’s always been good with adults, but kids, not so much.”

Jooheon nodded, taking in Hoseok’s words. They stood in comfortable silence for a while, watching their friends through the windows looking out onto the balcony as Jooheon finished his dinner. 

“This was really good, hyung, did you make it?”

Hoseok nodded. “Yeah, most of it.”

“You should cook for me sometime.”

Hoseok blinked, taking in Jooheon’s words before frowning. “Jooheon… I cook for you at least once a week.”

Jooheon clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “You  _ know _ what I meant.”

“Not really,” Hoseok replied honestly, feeling a little lost. “What  _ do _ you mean?”

Before Jooheon could reply, the sound of footsteps filled the air behind them, and they turned around to see Sua, Minyoung and Sungmin make their way into the living room, Hyunwoo trailing behind them with plates in his hand.

“I still don’t know why you didn’t make them eat at the table,” Hoseok laughed as he watched his friend take the plates into the kitchen.

“It’s fine, it’s just one night,” Hyunwoo brushed him off, beginning to wash the dishes despite Hoseok’s protests.

 

After Jooheon finished his dinner, the two of them sat side by side on Hoseok’s smaller couch. It faced the big glass windows of the living room, giving them a view out onto the balcony.

“Changkyun seems to be getting along well with them,” Jooheon pointed out, and Hoseok followed his line of sight to the three men on the balcony. Minhyuk was chattering, one hand carrying Sua on his hip and the other moving around enthusiastically as Changkyun listened patiently. Kihyun was looking at Minhyuk with the fond expression he only wore when he thought no one was paying attention to him. Hyungwon was inside, standing by the dining table and showing Hyunwoo something on his phone.

Suddenly, Hoseok felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket, and he maneuvered his arm around his body to pull it out.

 

**hyungwon**

u better make ur move now loverboy

 

Hoseok looked up to see Hyungwon grinning at him, and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned to look at Jooheon, who was watching whatever was playing on the tv from earlier in the evening. He propped an elbow up on the armrest, leaning his head in his hand as he simply looked at the blond man next to him, all his words dying on the tip of his tongue. Jooheon had the smallest of smiles on his face but, although faint, his dimples still appeared. Hoseok’s eyes traced his profile, along the curve of his nose, his lips set in a natural pout, and his round cheeks, making him look younger than he was. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket again and sighed, tearing his eyes away quickly when Jooheon turned to look at him.

“Damn, someone’s really trying to reach you, hyung,” he pointed out with a laugh.

Hoseok shook his head. “It’s just Hyungwon being stupid, don’t mind it.”

“Why is he texting you from across the room?”

Giving Jooheon an exasperated look, Hoseok shook his head. “No idea.”

“Do you want to check it?”

Hoseok then looked over at Hyungwon who quickly looked away, and shook his head. “Nah. He’ll live. It’s probably memes or something.”

“I didn’t think you knew what memes were, hyung,” Jooheon joked, and Hoseok turned to him in disbelief.

“I’m not  _ that _ old, Jooheon!” Hoseok really couldn’t believe the audacity.

“Listen, Hyunwoo-ssi pronounced them  _ “may-mays,” _ okay. I wasn’t sure!” Jooheon defended himself but he never stopped laughing. 

“What about memes?” Hyunwoo asked, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Hoseok winced when he butchered the pronunciation again.

“Nothing, hyung,” Jooheon reassured him, and that seemed to be enough, because he turned back to whatever game he was playing with Minyoung and Sungmin on the floor behind the couch. He then shot Hoseok a pointed look. “I’m just saying. I had reason to believe you were not in the know.”

“So rude.” Hoseok clicked his tongue, shaking his head in mock-disbelief. He then looked up at the clock on the wall by the tv, realising that it was beginning to get late and that Jooheon would probably be leaving soon. He knew Kihyun - and Hyungwon - would have his head if they found out this entire thing had been for nothing, and that the two of them had barely talked.

When he looked at Jooheon again, the other man was already looking at him, eyebrows raised in interest. “What’s up?”

“What do you mean?”

“You look disappointed about something.”

Hoseok shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You were looking up at the clock and just…” Jooheon shrugged, and Hoseok swore he could see a hint of a smirk on his face. “Looked upset.”

“I- I’m- I was just wondering when Sua would need to get to bed.”

“Oh, do you think it’s getting late?” Jooheon asked then, concern overcoming the smirk. “Because we can head out, it’s not a prob-”

“No, no,” Hoseok cut Jooheon off with a shake of his head. “It's fine. She can be up a little longer.”

Jooheon hummed and nodded, and the pair fell into silence again.

As of on cue (and Hoseok was beginning to suspect it was on cue), Kihyun reentered the living room with Minhyuk - and Sua in his arms - in tow. 

“She's getting kinda heavy to carry, don't you think?” Hoseok asked, watching the three of them sit down on the couch. 

“If my noodle arms can carry her, Hoseok, she’s still light enough,” Minhyuk reasoned. 

Hoseok just shook his head fondly, watching as Minyoung and Sungmin joined them when they realised Minhyuk was telling some story or another, squeezing in between the two men on the couch. Hoseok tried to listen to the story but it quickly became too convoluted for him to follow, and so he simply took in the scene: Kihyun on one end of the couch with Sua on his lap, Minyoung and Sungmin in the middle, and Minhyuk on the other end. The three kids were giving him their undivided attention, asking questions that Minhyuk took in stride, one hand gesturing around and accentuating his words while his other arm was stretched across the back of the couch, hand interlocked with Kihyun’s. Hoseok couldn’t keep the fond smile off his face. 

Jooheon then nudged him. “How long have they been together?” he asked quietly.

Hoseok looked over at Jooheon. “Oh god, it’s been years.”

“Really?”

“Hmm. Why do you ask?”

Jooheon shrugged. “Just curious.” He then met Hoseok’s gaze. “How did they get together? Like, who asked who?”

“Um, I’m pretty sure it was Minhyuk. Kihyun is in his own head a lot of the time.”

“Sounds like someone I know.”

Hoseok blinked. “Wait, who?”

“Oh.” Jooheon looked like he was holding back laughter. “Changkyun. There’s this girl at work who’s so clearly into him, but he just doesn’t get any of the hints.”

“Is he interested too?”

Jooheon nodded. His eyes never left Hoseok’s. “Very much so, yeah.”

“You should tell him to go for it, then.”

“I try, but there’s only so much I can do.” Jooheon shrugged.

The sound of the balcony door sliding open interrupted their conversation, and they looked up to see Hyungwon step into the living room. It was getting a little too crowded for all of them, Hoseok thought.

“I’m going to get a drink and see what Changkyun’s doing.” Jooheon then stood up and turned to look at Hoseok. “Come with me, hyung.”

“Uh, sure.”

Hoseok followed Jooheon to the dining table and poured the two of them glasses of coke before heading out onto the balcony. Changkyun was leaning against the railing, looking out at the view of the city below them.

“Hey bro, what’s up?” Jooheon asked, and Hoseok had to bite back laughter. 

Changkyun hummed, shook his head. “Nothing much.”

“I was just telling Hoseok hyung about your problem with the girl at work,” Jooheon explained, slinging a hand around Changkyun’s shoulders. Hoseok leaned against the railing beside Jooheon.

“The girl at work?” Changkyun asked, eyebrows furrowing.

“You know, the one that is  _ obviously _ into you but you won’t read the signs?”

Changkyun’s confused expression slowly turned into one of realisation, and he nodded vehemently. “Oh, yeah. Yeah.”

“Hoseok says you should go for it.”

“I mean,” Hoseok interjected. “I don’t really know the situation, but if Jooheon’s right, then you should just say something.”

Changkyun nodded, but his expression didn’t give away anything about how he felt about the suggestion. “Yeah.”

“At some point you just gotta stop dropping hints and go in for the kill,” Jooheon continued. He squeezed Changkyun’s shoulder, shaking the other man a little. “Don’t be scared.”

As Hoseok listened to the conversation, something clicked in his mind. Maybe… Maybe he should stop trying to be subtle. But… He really didn’t know how Jooheon felt. It wasn’t the situation Changkyun was in. He could potentially just embarrass himself and lose a good friend in the process.

“Yeah, hyung, I know,” Changkyun sighed, then looked over at Hoseok. “You heard that, Hoseok-ssi? The biggest scaredy cat just told me to get over my fears. I guess if he can do it, we all can do it…”

Hoseok laughed, shaking his head. “How ironic, right?”

Changkyun hummed then pushed himself off the railing, Jooheon’s arm falling back to his side in the process. “I’m gonna go talk to Hyunwoo-ssi.”

Hoseok watched him get off the balcony before turning back to the dark city, trying not to pay attention to how close he and Jooheon were standing. 

“Hey, hyung?” Jooheon asked after a moment of silence. 

“Yeah?”

“When are you going to follow in Minhyuk’s footsteps?”

Hoseok frowned and turned his head to look at Jooheon, but the blond man was still looking out in front of him, at the sleepy city. “What?”

Jooheon sighed softly, then looked over at Hoseok, a soft smile on his face. “Changkyun isn’t the only blindly oblivious one here, apparently.”

Genuinely confused, Hoseok just blinked, trying to understand what Jooheon was going on about. “I really have no idea what you’re saying right now.”

Jooheon laughed around an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his hair, and shook his head. “Hyung, when are you going to ask me on a date?”

Hoseok swore that his brain short-circuited. He just stood there, leaning against the railing of his balcony, and looked at Jooheon with wide eyes. He tried to say something but the words wouldn’t come out, so he just stood there, gaping, for a good moment before forcing himself out of it. Clearing his throat, he stood up a little straighter. “Oh. Um. I… I didn’t think I was that obvious.”

“You’re obvious  _ and _ oblivious,” Jooheon chuckled. 

“Well.” Hoseok let out a chuckle of disbelief. “Do you- Um- Do you  _ want _ me to ask you on a date?”

Jooheon just looked at him with an incredulous expression on his face. “Hyung, I can’t get any clearer than this.”

“I just-”

“Hey guys, I just think you should know that we-” Hyunwoo started, stepping onto the balcony, but the glare Hoseok shot him shut him up immediately. “Oh. Um. I’ll- I’ll come back…”

He backed out of the balcony quietly, and the two of them sighed. The silence wasn’t preserved for very long, because a second later, the door opened again, and Hoseok turned around to see Sua and Minyoung approaching them. 

“Daddy,” Sua whined, leaning against Hoseok’s leg. “Uncle Minhyuk broke the tv.”

Hoseok sighed, nodded. “Of course he did. Let’s go see how we can fix this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well... I'm sorry haha (not really)
> 
> there will be another part, don't worry!
> 
> as always, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/vicesandcurses), [tumblr](http://plastic--hearts.tumblr.com/) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kiwijinwoo)!


	3. Chapter 3

“Pardon my language but… You’re a fucking idiot, hyung,” Kihyun sighed, rubbing his forehead.

The two of them had met up for coffee on their lunch break on Monday, two days later, and Hoseok had recounted the balcony scene to Kihyun.

“I just- I wasn’t  _ sure- _ ”

Kihyun stared at him, silent, for a moment. When Hoseok lowered his eyes in shame, the other man sighed, shook his head. “At this point he’d have to get the words “Hoseok hyung, date me” tattooed across his forehead for you to get it.”

Hoseok whined but Kihyun just clicked his tongue, taking none of his petulant behaviour. “Come on,” Kihyun continued. “You’re worse than me.”

“So you admit that you were an oblivious idiot with Minhyuk.”

“Yes,” he sighed then took a sip of his coffee. “But I had other things to worry about. You don’t, hyung. He’s right there, waiting for you.”

“Why doesn’t he just ask me out?”

Kihyun snorted. “What is this, middle school? He’s scared, too. And honestly, he’s done most of the work so far. It’s your turn.”

 

Hoseok was scared out of his mind. He was approaching the school gates slowly and he could already see Jooheon, hunched over his phone with his blond hair swaying in the breeze. Hoseok really had no idea how he was going to approach the subject; Jooheon really had done all the work for it. Dammit, Kihyun was right. Damn Kihyun.

“Hey Jooheon,” Hoseok greeted him awkwardly, hands deep in the pockets of his leather jacket. 

The man looked up, surprise painting his features for a second before they softened into a smile. “Hi, hyung. How are you?”

“Cold,” Hoseok answered with a laugh. “You?”

“I’m alright.”

Hoseok nodded, then opened his mouth to say something… But nothing came out. Flustered, he closed it again as Jooheon raised his eyebrows, but he just shook his head. “No, nothing.”

Jooheon just gave him a look but said nothing more. Hoseok sighed. He could hear Kihyun’s disapproving voice in his mind (what was it with him and getting his friends’ voices stuck in his head?) and on the third repetition of  _ “You’re a fucking idiot, hyung,” _ Hoseok decided it was now or never.

“Actually, Jooheon, um,” Hoseok started, then paused, hesitated. “About the other night.”

Jooheon’s eyes then widened, a development Hoseok hadn’t expected. “I’m sorry if I jumped to conclusions.” He took a step back, putting some space between the two of them. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Hoseok blinked and shook his head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. I, um, wanted to actually follow through with your, uh… Your suggestion, I guess?” Rubbing the back of his neck, Hoseok looked away from Jooheon. “I do want to ask you on a date. Maybe- Um, maybe on Wednesday? Because the girls stay after school for their art class, and it’s convenient, not that I  _ wouldn’t _ make arrangements for a date, but-”

Jooheon’s loud laughter cut him off, and he looked up at him hopefully. Jooheon had his head thrown back in laughter and Hoseok felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

“Yeah, Wednesday works.” Jooheon grinned, eyes disappearing into crescents. 

Hoseok swore his heart skipped a beat.

 

On Wednesday, after having dropped Sua to school, Hoseok was beginning to realise that it was maybe a bad idea to schedule a date in the middle of the week, especially a date right after work.

“What are you gonna do about it, cancel?” Hyungwon scoffed. He had made himself comfortable in Hoseok’s cubicle, much to the older man’s dismay.

“No,” Hoseok answered pointedly. “That’s the last thing I’m gonna do. But…” Hoseok sighed. “It’s kind of a shitty first date, don’t you think? Going to a random cafe in the middle of the day for a couple hours, dressed in our work clothes?”

“There were three things wrong with that statement,” Hyungwon said, wheeling himself closer to Hoseok and sitting up straight. “One,” he began, counting off his fingers, “Is the notion that it’s gonna be a shitty date because of how short of a time-frame you guys have. It’s not gonna be a shitty date, hyung. This is called being an adult, you squeeze things in between other things and hope they turn out okay.

“Second, this is hardly your first date. How many times have you had him over for dinner?” Hyungwon raised his eyebrows as Hoseok tried to recall. “That’s right, you’ve lost count. Don’t underestimate all the time you’ve already spent with him, not a lot of people have that luxury. And, last but not least,” Hyungwon paused, knowing fully well that Hoseok was hanging onto every word, “There’s nothing wrong with your work clothes. Plus, you actually did your hair this morning, so you look better than usual.”

Hoseok groaned and rolled his eyes as Hyungwon cackled, wheeling himself just out of Hoseok’s reach. “Thanks, Hyungwon.”

“Anytime, hyung!” he singsonged, rolling back into his cubicle. 

Although he would never admit it, Hyungwon’s words actually reassured him. He was able to go through his work day without worrying (too much) about the date, but as the time to leave ticked closer and closer, his worries came creeping back in, louder than ever. It was the first time in a while that he was going on a date that he was actually nervous for. Ever since Sua was born and everything went down with her mum, he had been on a couple dates, but none of them went anywhere - obviously. It was hard to make time to date when he had to watch over Sua, so somehow Jooheon seemed too good to be true.

With a deep breath, he checked his hair in the mirror Hyungwon kept hung up on a wall of his cubicle, ignoring the other man’s suggestions, and headed out. The two of them had agreed to meet at a cafe, deciding that it would be easier and quicker that way.

On his walk to their meeting spot, he passed by a corner store with flowers arranged in the front. He paused to look at the flowers, then as a thought occurred to him, he quickly checked the time. He thankfully had enough time to pop in and pick up a bouquet. 

Or would that be too much?

Hoseok sighed and shook his head. He needed to stop overthinking  _ everything _ . Jooheon surely wouldn’t mind a flower or two…

 

“That’s a lot of flowers, hyung,” Jooheon laughed, taking the bouquet from him.

So maybe Hoseok had gone past one or two flowers. He couldn’t help himself: the florist was so helpful and had put together such a beautiful arrangement of pink tulips and  white Peruvian lilies, he couldn’t  _ not _ get it.

“Sorry if it’s too much,” Hoseok apologised sheepishly.

Jooheon shook his head, offering Hoseok a wide smile. “Not at all, hyung. I love them, thank you.”

Hoseok let out a relieved sigh before gesturing to the door of the cafe they were standing in front of. “Should we go in?”

Jooheon nodded before opening the door, holding it open for Hoseok who thanked him quietly, suddenly feeling shy. They ordered their drinks and random pastries which Hoseok paid for despite Jooheon’s protests, and took the plates upstairs to sit by the big windows overlooking the street in front of the cafe.

“This place is cute,” Jooheon commented, placing the bouquet down carefully on the unused third seat at their small, square table. 

“So are you,” Hoseok murmured, but it was too quiet for Jooheon to pick up on. Sighing softly, he watched as Jooheon picked up a spoon and dug into the slice of chocolate cake he had ordered, his eyes lighting up when he tasted it.

“Hyung! Try this, it’s so good!” He took another spoonful and brought it up to Hoseok’s face. Hoseok barely had time to process it before he was opening his mouth and letting Jooheon feed him a piece of cake. He felt his face heat up as he chewed, avoiding Jooheon’s gaze and focusing his attention on the people walking through the street below them. 

“Isn’t it good?” Jooheon pressed on.

Hoseok swallowed, nodded. “Yeah, really good. This place usually has really- uh, really good food.”

“Hyung?” Jooheon then asked.

“Hmm?” Hoseok still wasn’t meeting his gaze.

“What’s so interesting down there?”

Hoseok scrambled to pick something out from the everyday scenes going on in front of him. “Um, I was, um. Looking at that lady and her dog, the fluffy white one.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Hoseok saw Jooheon lean over towards the window as well, trying to spot it. “Oh! So cute. I always wanted to adopt a dog, but…” he trailed off with an awkward chuckle.

Taking his courage in both hands, Hoseok finally looked up at him to see him smiling softly, eyes still on the dog. 

“But?” Hoseok asked.

“But I never got the chance to.” Jooheon shrugged, sitting up straight, and met Hoseok’s gaze. “Between Minyoung and finishing up school, then getting a job, I really wouldn’t have time to take care of a dog. Maybe when she’s older.”

Hoseok nodded. “I’ve been thinking of adopting one, too.”

Jooheon opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to reconsider it and closed his mouth a second later, picking up his spoon again.

An awkward silence befell them, something Hoseok wasn’t used to. Conversation usually flowed easily with Jooheon - awkwardly sometimes, but easily. He didn’t know what to do.

“How was work?” he asked tentatively, knowing that it wasn’t a great conversation starter but it was better than nothing.

Jooheon nodded, swallowing his mouthful before answering. “Yeah, it was good. Changkyun and I are collaborating on an article, actually. I’m doing the interviews, he’s doing the pictures. It’s very exciting.”

Hoseok smiled, resting his head on a hand. “What are you covering?”

“There’s a group of underground rappers - literally underground, they meet in basements and stuff - and their beats are  _ sick. _ I knew I had to write about it the minute I heard them.”

“How did you find them?”

“I have a friend who’s involved in all that.” Jooheon shrugged, shifting his gaze away from Hoseok to stir his drink. “He knows it’s the type of stuff I’m interested in, so he got me in touch with some of them…”

“That’s nice.” Hoseok nodded, taking a sip of his own drink. “Did you do the interview already?”

“Some of them. I need to talk to a  _ lot _ of people,” Jooheon chuckled. His eyes met Hoseok’s and he shrugged. “How was work for you?”

Hoseok groaned, shook his head. “Fine. Long. Hyungwon wouldn’t stop bothering me. I curse every higherup that allowed him to sit next to me, honestly.”

Laughing, Jooheon shook his head as well. “Gotta love annoying coworkers.”

Hoseok just groaned, picking up his own spoon to take a bite out of his slice of pie. “I guess,” he grumbled.

But as he brought the spoon up to his mouth, the food seemed to have other ideas, and half of it slid off and onto his lap. Hoseok looked down then back up in surprise, flaring up with embarrassment. Jooheon, unfortunately, had witnessed the entire incident. 

“Here, hyung,” he said, handing over napkins.

“Thanks,” Hoseok replied, too embarrassed to meet Jooheon’s eyes. He took the napkins from him and wiped off his pants, cursing internally. These were the only clean pair of work pants he had at the moment, and now they were covered in apples and crumbs. Of course.

“Did it work? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

“No,” Hoseok replied entirely too quickly. “It’ll be fine. I just- Yeah. It’s fine.”

“Okay.” Jooheon nodded, taking a bite of his own food. 

Hoseok sighed as he deposited the used napkin on the side of the table and picked up his drink, taking a sip as his eyes drifted back out the window. He really didn’t want to look Jooheon in the eyes, not after making a fool of himself like that.

“Um, so, how’s Changkyun?” Hoseok finally asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

“He’s fine,” Jooheon replied, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head ever so slightly. “Same as usual… Why do you ask?” 

“I- I was just- Just wondering,” Hoseok answered, willing the ground to open up and swallow him instead.

  
  


The time for them to leave and pick up the girls rolled around quickly, and as they exited the cafe, Hoseok sighed softly. It hadn’t exactly gone the way he had expected it to - Hoseok didn’t think he’d be  _ that _ bad at making conversation - so he only had a short amount of time to amend that. 

As they began walking, Hoseok peered over at Jooheon. In one hand, he was holding the bouquet carefully, and his other hand was tucked into the pocket of his brown trench coat. Slowly, Hoseok moved closer to Jooheon,  who was immersed in telling Hoseok about a music documentary he had watched a few weeks ago, just enough for his hand to brush the other man’s coat as they walked. Finally, a few blocks down, Jooheon’s hand emerged from his pocket to wave around as he continued his story, and Hoseok’s breath hitched.

When Jooheon was done telling his story, he looked over at Hoseok just as his hand fell back to his side. “So, would you watch it?”

Hoseok just hummed, admittedly not having paid much attention towards the tail end of the story. He felt Jooheon’s hand brush against his once, twice, before moving his own hand ever so slightly and taking hold of Jooheon’s, just as it swung back down.

Eyes wide and surprised, Jooheon looked down at their hands before looking back up at Hoseok, but the older man had already diverted his attention back to the street in front of them.

“I’d definitely watch it,” he nodded, then cleared his throat awkwardly as his hand tightened around Jooheon’s. “Maybe we could watch it together sometime?” The last thing Hoseok wanted to do was watch a documentary, but since Jooheon seemed to like it so much, he would make an exception.

Jooheon was silent for a moment, then Hoseok felt his hand shift against his. For a brief, fleeting moment, Hoseok was terrified that he was going to pull his hand away, but breathed out a sigh of relief when Jooheon interlaced their fingers instead. He glanced over at him, blushing when he realised Jooheon was already looking at him. 

“You weren’t listening, were you?” he asked softly, but there was no resentment in his voice. 

Hoseok shook his head sheepishly and Jooheon laughed, squeezing his hand. “Stop overthinking everything, hyung,” he continued, his smile widening for a moment before he turned back to the street in front of them.

Hoseok couldn’t look away, though. Couldn’t look away from Jooheon’s dimples or the curve of his smile, and when they came to a stop at a crosswalk, he couldn’t help leaning over and kissing his cheek, right where he knew his dimples ran the deepest.

Jooheon turned to look up at him, eyes wide in surprise, but before either of them could do anything else, the light turned and Hoseok pulled Jooheon across the street. 

 

Right before they reached the school, Jooheon pulled him aside before letting go of his hand. Hoseok knew why, but he still pouted comically, blushing when Jooheon laughed.

“You’re a child, hyung.” Jooheon smiled at him fondly, then cleared his throat. “Can we meet on Friday?”

“Friday?”

Jooheon nodded. “Yeah.”

Hoseok thought about it for a moment then nodded as well. “I’ll ask Kihyun and Minhyuk if they can watch Sua.”

“Okay. Let me know?”

“I will,” Hoseok assured him.

Jooheon smiled, squeezed Hoseok’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s go get the girls.”

 

Kihyun and Minhyuk eagerly accepted taking care of Sua, even offering to take care of Minyoung for the night. Jooheon was grateful, but he had already made arrangements for Minyoung to stay with her mum for the weekend.

When Hoseok stood in front of Jooheon’s door that evening, he felt an unparalleled nervousness. He really hadn’t been lying when he said he hadn’t done this - or felt this way - in a long while. Knocking twice, he brought his hands back down to his sides, wiping them on his jeans. He realised belatedly that he hadn’t gotten anything this time around - no flowers, no chocolate - and he really hoped Jooheon wouldn’t mind. (Something in the back of his mind was telling him there was no way that Jooheon would mind, but he obviously had to overthink everything. It was what he was best at.)

When Jooheon opened the door, the greeting on the tip of his tongue vanished. All he could do was stare.

Jooheon was wearing a light pink turtleneck tucked into ripped black jeans, the whole outfit paired with a leather jacket and dangling earrings. Hoseok could definitely make out traces of eyeliner and… Were his lips usually that pink?

Hoseok felt incredibly underdressed.

“Hey,” Hoseok breathed out finally, eyes meeting Jooheon’s. “You look… Good.”

“Just good?” Jooheon teased but Hoseok was pleased to note the hint of a blush sweeping his cheeks. “Thanks, hyung. You look really good, too.”

Hoseok stepped aside to let Jooheon exit and lock his apartment, then looked at him expectantly. “Where are we going?”

“There’s this restaurant downtown that has live bands almost every night,” Jooheon explained, walking alongside Hoseok towards the elevator. “The band tonight is kinda jazzy, I thought it would be something you’d like.”

Hoseok nodded, smiling as he hit the down arrow. “That sounds nice.”

 

To get to the restaurant, they had to take the subway. The ride wasn’t too long, thankfully, and when they got off, Hoseok elbowed Jooheon. “Did you see that lady sitting across from us?”

Jooheon turned around, as if he would be able to see her even though the train had pulled away by then, then shook his head. “No, why?”

“She was definitely checking you out,” Hoseok laughed. 

“Me?” Jooheon asked, confused. He looked down at his outfit then back at Hoseok. “Really?”

“Mhm.”

Jooheon then cracked a smile, elbowing Hoseok in return. “Good thing I only have eyes for you, then.”

Eyes wide, Hoseok couldn’t stop the yelp that escaped him. Gosh, a  _ yelp? _ He was close to being 30, and here he was, acting like a teenager falling in love for the first time.

Jooheon looked at him in disbelief before laughing, a hand coming down to squeeze Hoseok’s shoulder. “That was cute, hyung.”

“You can’t say that,” Hoseok whined, shoving Jooheon a little. “The date hasn’t even started yet. Cut me  _ some  _ slack.”

“I can’t promise you anything.” Jooheon shrugged, the mischievous smile ever-present on his face.

Hoseok knew he wasn’t going to make it out of this night sane.

  
  


At the restaurant, Jooheon picked a table in the corner by the windows, far enough from the band to be able to hear each other talk. Hoseok took a seat on the bench while Jooheon sat on a chair, despite the elder’s protests. 

“Is there anything you’d recommend?” Hoseok asked Jooheon, peering over the menu.

“As an appetizer or a main dish?”

Hoseok shrugged. “Anything.”

“Their ramen is really good. I got it with Changkyun once and it was great.”

Hoseok snapped the menu shut, looking Jooheon straight in the eye. “That’s all you had to say.”

Blinking once, twice, Jooheon nodded, taking a minute to process what had just happened before turning back to his own menu. “Well, that just made the night easier.”

Laughing, Hoseok opened up his menu again, helping Jooheon pick out a couple appetizers and side dishes.

As they waited, they watched the band. Well, Jooheon watched the band, and Hoseok watched Jooheon, mostly. He watched the way his fingers tapped against the table to the beat, how his expression changed as a melody or chord progression changed, how his long earring swayed with every head movement. The music in the background made Hoseok feel like he was in a movie, and he certainly hoped the ending would be a happy one. 

 

Somehow, this date felt less tense than their first, despite the setting being much more formal. Jooheon had so much to say about the band and their skills, Hoseok was amazed. He didn’t think there was anything he was so knowledgeable about, but he wanted to know everything there was to Jooheon’s face lighting up with every new and interesting bassline. Maybe he would take him to a concert next time.

Next time. Hoseok smiled at the thought of that.

 

When they got their food, Hoseok was pleased to note Jooheon didn’t disappoint. The ramen was incredibly good - but then again, it was hard for him to find ramen he  _ didn't  _ like. 

“I would marry this ramen if I could,” Hoseok sighed happily.

Jooheon laughed, twirling his own noodles around his chopsticks. “How would you explain that to Sua? ‘Hey honey, your new mum is this bowl of ramen’?”

Hoseok laughed then shrugged, eyes focused on his food. “I mean, she would actually be around, then.”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry,” Hoseok apologised, looking up. He was scared that he had ruined the mood, but he was relieved to see that Jooheon was simply looking at him with kind eyes - it was understanding, not pity, something Hoseok had grown used to seeing over the years.

“Don’t be.” Jooheon shrugged, eyes alight. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”

“Well, I don’t know if that’s the kind of stuff you talk about on a second date,” Hoseok joked, gaze dropping back to his food. He really couldn’t believe Jooheon had repeated his own words to him - it only made him grow fonder of the other man, knowing that he had remembered his words. 

“Well…” Jooheon dragged the word out. “It’s not exactly our second date. I mean, officially, I guess it is, but…”

“Yeah, I get what you’re saying.” Hoseok looked up, smiled at Jooheon. “It’s not a happy story - I mean, obviously.”

“I beg to differ.”

Hoseok raised an eyebrow, confused as to what Jooheon could possibly mean.

“I mean, I do wish things had worked out for you the first time around,” Jooheon clarified, clearing his throat. “But, um. The only reason I know you this well is because things  _ didn’t  _ work out. And, I guess, I don’t- I wouldn’t say that that’s not a happy story. Not from where I’m sitting, at least.”

Surprised, Hoseok blinked, pausing his chewing as he felt his cheeks heat up, then ducked his head. “I guess you’re right,” he agreed. “I don’t think that’s an unhappy ending, either.”

“Ending?” Jooheon asked, eyebrow raised. He propped his chin up on his hand, smiling widely at Hoseok. “Is this the ending to your story?”

“That makes it sound like I’m gonna die,” Hoseok answered honestly.

Jooheon rolled his eyes fondly, shaking his head as he lifted it back up, picking up his chopsticks again. “Trust you to ruin the moment.”

“Hey!” Hoseok felt a little indignant. “It’s true!”

“I know!” Jooheon laughed. “But you knew what I meant!”

“Yeah,” Hoseok mumbled.

“Um, but I was being serious, you know. If you do wanna talk about it, get it off your chest - though I know it’s been a while, so I don’t know if that’s the right choice of words - either way, I’m happy to listen, hyung, you know that.”

Hoseok nodded, giving Jooheon a small smile. “I know. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

 

They ate in silence for a bit before Jooheon piped up again. “What time do you need to get home?”

“Oh, let me check.” Hoseok hiked up his sleeve to check his watch, then pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jacket lying on the bench beside him. He had texts from Minhyuk and Kihyun, letting him know that they were going to put Sua to bed soon. Minhyuk had also texted saying that he could stay out as late as he wanted, they would probably just sleep on his couch - it wasn’t like they’d never done it before. “I guess… Whenever?”

“Whenever?” Jooheon repeated, amused.

“Yeah… Hold on, let me figure out what Minhyuk’s trying to tell me.”

“Go for it.”

 

**minhyuk**

we’ll just sleep on ur couch!!

take all the time u need loverboy

 

****

**hoseok**

Min no it’s fine, I’ll be home by 9 

 

**minhyuk**

dont b ridiculous

its not evry day u go out on a date

 

****

**hoseok**

Minhyuk 

 

**minhyuk**

hyung im so serious

even ki agrees with me

and he never agrees with my stupid plans

 

****

**hoseok**

Okay 

Please take my bed though. 

Thanks guys, I really owe you 

 

**minhyuk**

ur bed is payment enough!! so comfy

Cho would take up the whole couch bed

so thank u

 

****

**hoseok**

I still can’t believe you brought Cho. It’s like you had this all planned from the beginning. 

 

**minhyuk**

;)

 

With an amused shake of the head, Hoseok put his phone away. “Yeah, so I really can get back whenever.”

“How come?” Jooheon asked curiously. 

“Minhyuk and Kihyun are staying the night. They’re ridiculous.”

Jooheon laughed in disbelief. “They’re good friends, that’s what they are.”

“I know,” Hoseok answered. “I don’t know what I’d do without them sometimes.”

“Do they watch Sua often?”

Hoseok pondered the question as he chewed on a piece of beef. “They used to,” he finally answered after swallowing. “When Sua’s mum had just left us. I mean, they were around before that, too, but they really helped me figure things out and adjust.”

Jooheon nodded. “It’s good to have friends like that. When did you guys meet?”

“I met Kihyun in my third year of college, and then he introduced me to Minhyuk. They weren’t together at the time.” Hoseok chuckled at the memory. “And then Sua was born as I was in the middle of grad school, so about two years later.”

“Were you all in the same year?”

Hoseok shook his head. “They’re both a year younger than me. Kihyun was in an upper-level business class, which, when you get to know him, is not surprising at all."

"Yeah, I don't know him all that well and it's not surprising to me, either," Jooheon laughed. 

"He's very focused." Hoseok nodded before chuckling. "I would've been into him if I wasn't dating Michiko - uh, Sua's mum - at the time."

At that, Jooheon laughed harder. "Really? He doesn't seem like your type."

“Listen, his ramen is so good, I have yet to try anything better.” Hoseok shrugged, trying to keep his face serious for a moment but failing when Jooheon laughed harder, joining in on it. “No, but seriously, Kihyun's laid back once you get to know him. He's very caring but he'd rather die than let that show," Hoseok chuckled again. “That's where I think Minhyuk complements him the most."

"For sure," Jooheon agreed as his laughter died down. He took a final breath to calm himself, then spoke up again. "You don't have to talk about her if you don't want to, but Michiko, that's a pretty Japanese name, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Hoseok nodded. "She was- Is Japanese, but she was born and raised here. My parents didn't like it very much, but I think when they found out she barely spoke any Japanese and considered herself more Korean than anything else, they relented."

Jooheon nodded in understanding. "Yeah, parents can be a little old-fashioned."

"I love my parents, but I was really mad at them about it at the time," Hoseok agreed. "Then I told them I was bi, and, well, it was a little harder to get them to accept that. They did, in the end, but you know." Hoseok shrugged, not really wanting to recall that period of time much more.

Jooheon must've gotten the hint, because he cleared his throat and asked about Hyunwoo, and where the two of them had met. 

 

For dessert, Jooheon ordered ice-cream, insisting that it was the best he had ever had. Hoseok didn't really understand how ice-cream could differ from place to place, but he didn't complain and ate it happily, observing Jooheon's blissful expression intensify with every mouthful.

When it came time to pay, no matter how much Hoseok argued, Jooheon wouldn’t let him see the check, insisting that it was his turn to pay. 

“Let me at least pay the tip,” Hoseok whined, but Jooheon was having none of it.

“My date idea, my treat,” Jooheon said, and Hoseok simply sighed, giving up on arguing.

 

Their way back after dinner was pleasant. The subway car was fairly empty so they managed to get the two-seat bench by the door, and they rode in comfortable silence, both of them looking at their phones idly. At some point Jooheon had taken Hoseok’s hand in his own and their interlocked hands were resting on his lap, and Hoseok was trying his best to control his breathing.

“Hey, hyung,” Jooheon piped up after a few minutes.

Hoseok looked up from his phone at Jooheon with raised eyebrows and hummed.

“Do you like wearing other people’s shirts?”

Hoseok frowned, blinked twice, then answered with a tentative, “Maybe?”

With a laugh, Jooheon nodded, looking at something on his phone once more.

“What is going on?” Hoseok asked, peering at Jooheon’s amused face.

“Changkyun texted me this- this list of questions to ask someone on a first date, and honestly that was one of the least ridiculous ones,” Jooheon explained, turning his phone so Hoseok could see the message. “Look at this shit: Do you prefer writing with black or blue pen? What about purple, man? I like writing with a purple pen.”

“Purple is a good colour,” Hoseok agreed, reading over the list before sitting up straight. “Wait, okay. Back to the question about shirts. I usually can’t even  _ fit _ into anyone else’s shirts, honestly.”

“Wait, why not?”

Using his free hand, Hoseok gestured to his other arm. “Uh, these- I can barely fit my arms into my own shirts…”

Jooheon burst out laughing, covering up his mouth with his hand when an old lady glared at him. He laughed and laughed until his eyes began tearing up, Hoseok giggling beside him. “Hyung, that’s  _ ridiculous _ ,” he finally wheezed out, wiping his eyes as he looked back up at Hoseok. 

“It’s true!” Hoseok defended. “And if the shirts fit my arms, they’re too big on the rest of me!”

“Maybe try sleeveless shirts?”

Hoseok clicked his tongue. “It’s getting cold! I can’t run around in sleeveless shirts in the snow.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Jooheon shrugged.

Hoseok’s eyes widened and the blush that overcame his cheeks was so hot that the temperature in the entire subway car must’ve gone up by a few degrees. “You really have no respect for your elders, do you?” Hoseok managed to stutter out, unable to meet Jooheon’s eyes, but the man just laughed again and squeezed his hand.

“Only for the ones I find cute.”

Hoseok yelped again, turning to stare at Jooheon in disbelief. “Do you really have no filter?”

“Why should I?” Jooheon shrugged, a smirk gracing his lips. “I’m just being honest, and I like seeing your reactions.”

“My reactions?” Hoseok repeated. Jooheon would really be the death of him. 

“Yeah, hyung. Stop being so cute, and maybe I’ll think about that filter.”

Hoseok couldn’t keep looking at him out of fear of literally bursting into flames, so he looked away, up at the little map of the station names running along the top of the subway car wall. He squinted a little at it, looking at the station that was coming next, then…

“Jooheon, we missed our stop.”

  
  


Despite Jooheon’s arguing, Hoseok walked him home, their hands never letting go of one another’s. It was a busy Friday night in Jooheon’s part of the city, so they had to keep weaving in and out of crowds of people going to and from various parties.

As they passed a group of college students laughing together, all of them dressed up, Hoseok smiled fondly. 

“I remember I used to go out so much in college,” he reminisced, falling back into step beside Jooheon. 

“Really? I don’t see you as the party goer…”

Hoseok shrugged. “It never got too crazy, but yeah, my friends and I really liked to party.”

“Kihyun too?”

“Oh,  _ especially _ Kihyun,” Hoseok told him. “I always ended up being the responsible one and having to keep an eye on him.”

“Hunh.” Jooheon couldn’t believe what Hoseok was telling him. “I didn’t expect that.”

“Told you there’s more to him than meets the eye.” Hoseok shrugged. “What about you, though? I feel like that would be your scene…”

Jooheon hummed and shook his head, looking over at Hoseok for a brief moment. “Maybe a little bit during my first year. Minyoung was born early in my second year, so after that I really had my hands full.”

“Oh.” Hoseok suddenly felt bad. “Sorry, I didn’t think about it.”

Jooheon shook his head again and squeezed Hoseok’s hand. “Don’t be, I’m not upset. I mean, at the time I was. I was really upset that I couldn’t be like all my friends, but you know, it’s been six years. I’m not upset over some dumb college parties anymore,” he chuckled. “Plus, I saw some of the shit my friends got themselves into, and honestly I think I was probably better off.”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Hoseok agreed wholeheartedly, causing the two of them to start laughing. 

Before Jooheon could say anything more, another group of people passed them by on the sidewalk and Hoseok pulled Jooheon into his side so he wouldn’t collide with them. Their arms squeezed against each other’s uncomfortably, so Hoseok didn’t think twice about it when he let go of Jooheon’s hand to wrap his arm around his waist instead.

When they made it past the group, Hoseok nearly let go before realising that he could actually get used to this. If Jooheon could be bold, so could he.

Unfortunately, Jooheon’s reactions weren’t nearly as explosive as Hoseok’s. When he realised that Hoseok wasn’t going to let him go, he just looked over at him and smiled before continuing the story he was telling about Changkyun’s college misadventures.

When they reached Jooheon’s apartment building, Hoseok reluctantly let him go so they could turn to face one another. 

“Thank you for dinner,” Hoseok said, hands slipping into his jacket pockets. “I had a really good time.”

“I’m glad,” Jooheon replied. The awkwardness was slowly seeping back into the atmosphere around them. “I won’t keep you much longer, I know you must want to get home.”

“Yeah, I should probably be getting back,” Hoseok agreed before stepping forward to envelop Jooheon in a hug. The proximity reminded Hoseok that Jooheon was a little taller than him, and he propped his chin up on his shoulder, hugging him tight. The longer he hugged him, the longer Hoseok felt himself melt into the embrace, and pulling away felt cruel. They smiled at each other and Hoseok squeezed Jooheon’s shoulder before saying, “Have a good night.”

“You too, hyung, see you on Monday.”

Hoseok nodded, smiling at him one last time before turning to walk away. He barely made it five steps away before a feeling of regret settled in his gut, and he turned back around quickly. “Jooheon, wait.”

The other man, who was about to pull open the door to the building, turned around as well, a curious expression on his face.

Resisting the urge to jog up to him, Hoseok walked quickly back to where Jooheon was standing, his hands slipping out of his pockets to cup Jooheon’s round cheeks. He didn’t give himself time to hesitate as he leaned in and kissed him.

It took Jooheon a second to react, but his hands came down to rest on Hoseok’s waist as he responded to the kiss. Somewhere along the line, Hoseok’s hands slipped away from Jooheon’s face, one of them finding its way into Jooheon’s blond hair and the other coming to rest on one of Jooheon’s arms, pulling the other man closer. He felt Jooheon giggle into the kiss and his grip tightening on his waist. 

After what felt like hours, Hoseok finally pulled away with a final kiss, and took a step back, refocusing on the man in front of him who looked ever so slightly dazed.

“I feel like that was long overdue,” Hoseok whispered, not wanting to break the mood just yet. 

Jooheon nodded, hands still lingering on Hoseok’s waist. “Yeah, I agree.”

“I really do need to head back soon, though.”

With a hum, Jooheon nodded. “I know,” he answered, but before Hoseok could put more space between them, Jooheon slipped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for another kiss. It felt more urgent than the last one but it was over in the blink of an eye, and then it was Hoseok’s turn to be dazed. Jooheon’s arms slipped away, his hands following the line of Hoseok’s arms and taking his hands for a moment before squeezing and letting them fall back to his side. “I’ll see you on Monday, hyung.”

Hoseok nodded, a wide smile breaking onto his face, and he really couldn’t stop himself from kissing Jooheon’s dimple. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

The smile never left Hoseok’s face, and when he got home to an eager Minhyuk, he recounted the story like a lovestruck teenager, rejoicing in the tight hug his friend pulled him into. Minhyuk’s quiet shrieks (well, quiet for him) must’ve roused Kihyun from his sleep, because the next thing Hoseok knew, a third pair of arms was joining the hug along with a whisper to “Shut the hell up, Sua is sleeping!”

Later that night, when Hoseok was lying on the couch bed, blankets pulled up around him, he came to the realisation that, even though things weren’t always easy, he was happy beyond belief.

He fell asleep to thoughts of Jooheon, a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand here we are!!
> 
> once again, big thanks to Victoria who is literally the reason this fic exists.
> 
> there _might_ be another part... but for now this story is done. ♡ I hope you all enjoyed it!!
> 
> as always, find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/vicesandcurses), [tumblr](http://plastic--hearts.tumblr.com/) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/kiwijinwoo)!


End file.
